Film review: House of Gucci
Lady Gaga excels in Ridley Scott’s fashion soap opera
You’d have to have the “humbuggiest of hearts not to be charmed” by this Christmas film, said Cath Clarke in The Guardian. “Lavishly adapted” from Matt Haig’s kids’ book, it kicks off in modern-day London, where Maggie Smith is a Mary Poppins-ish great-aunt to a trio of siblings. She has a story to tell about a boy called Nikolas (the “delightfully urchin-faced newcomer” Henry Lawfull), who lives in Finland with his woodcutter dad (Michiel Huisman). They’re so poor that when the “dotty king”, played with endearing petulance by Jim Broadbent, offers a reward to anyone able to “bring hope to the land”, Nikolas’s father goes in search of a fabled kingdom of elves, and is eventually followed by Nikolas himself. The film has “semi-unsentimental” things to say about grief, but is above all a Christmas movie, made for “little ones” parked in front of the telly on Boxing Day, while the adults are all “a bit drowsy on Quality Street”.
It’s aimed at children, but this delightful film will “embrace the whole family in a warm cinematic hug”, said Brian Viner in the Daily Mail. There’s a flying reindeer, a silly king, a cackling crone, fabulous special effects and “just about every other ingredient you might wish for” in a festive film. It’s “an early Christmas cracker”. The world it conjures is beautifully constructed, said Robbie Collin in The Daily Telegraph, but I am afraid I found the film “an unlovely hybrid of the garish and the mawkish”. Beneath its “Paddington-meets-Potter” storybook skin, “its bloodstream runs with purest gloop”. Characters are more likely to grate than charm, and some of the casting “borders on self-sabotage”, with Stephen Merchant appearing as the world’s least likely talking mouse.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
4 ways to give back this holiday season
The Explainer If your budget is feeling squeezed, remember that money is not the only way you can be generous around the holidays
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
4 tips for hosting an ecofriendly Thanksgiving
The Week Recommends Coming together for the holidays typically produces a ton of waste, but with proper preparation, you can have an environmentally friendly gathering.
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Damian Barr shares his favourite books
The Week Recommends The writer and broadcaster picks works by Alice Walker, Elif Shafak and others
By The Week UK Published
-
The Great Mughals: a 'treasure trove' of an exhibition
The Week Recommends The V&A's new show is 'spell-binding'
By The Week UK Published
-
Aston Martin Vanquish: 'the best Aston Martin full stop'?
The Week Recommends The third-generation Vanquish 'offers spectacular performance'
By The Week UK Published
-
Her Lotus Year: Paul French's new biography sets lurid rumours straight
The Week Recommends Wallis Simpson's year in China is less scandalous, but 'more interesting' than previously thought
By The Week UK Published
-
Say Nothing: 'sensational' dramatisation of Patrick Radden Keefe's bestselling book
The Week Recommends The series is a 'powerful reminder' of the Troubles
By The Week UK Published
-
Joy: fertility film starring Bill Nighy offers 'dose of seasonal cheer'
The Week Recommends The film about the invention of the fertility treatment is 'unassuming' but may 'sneak up on you'
By The Week UK Published
-
Ed Park's 6 favorite works about self reflection and human connection
Feature The Pulitzer Prize finalist recommends works by Jason Rekulak, Gillian Linden, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 fantastic homes in Columbus, Ohio
Feature Featuring a 1915 redbrick Victorian in German Village and a modern farmhouse in Woodland Park
By The Week Staff Published